Hand swimming attachment



Jan. 7, 1941. l c. E. DEVERMANN 2,227,825

HAND SWIMMING ATTACHMENT Filed June 28, 1939 Patented `Ian. 7, 1941UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,227,825 LHANn SWIMMING ATTACHMENT CharlesE. Devermann, Bronxville, N. Y. Application June 2s, 1939, serial No.281,510 3 claims. (ol. 9 21) This invention relates to a device to beused as an aid in swimming, and particularly to a device which may bearranged upon the hand of a swimmer to increase the effective areathereof `in web-like fashion; and the object of the invention is toprovide a device of the class described -whichfis fashioned from asingle sheet of resilient rubber-like material having a plurality ofslits and apertures for the arrangement of the device on the hand; afurther object being to provide a swimming aid of the characterdescribed which may be produced in a single forming operation and whichas produced may be arranged upon either the left or the right hand of auser; and with` these and other objects in view, the invention consistsin a device of the class and for the purpose specified, which is simplein construction, efiicient in use, and which is constructed ashereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying Adrawing forms a part, in which the separateparts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference `charactersin each of the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved swimming device showing aneffective arrangement of nger 'engaging slits and apertures.

Fig. 2 isa View showing my device arranged upon the hand as seen fromthe palm side thereof.

Fig. 3 is a View showing my device arranged upon Athe hand as seen fromthe back side thereofl and indicating an alternative mode of arrangingthe thumb therein, and

Fig. 4 is a-view on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

'In swimming, the area of the hand effective for producing a propellingforce is relatively small, and it is the purpose of the presentinvention toV increase the effective area by providing means arrangeableon the extended thumb and ngers of the hand for forming web-likeportions between the thumb and extended ngers. In Fig. 1 of the drawing,I have shown one form of my device as comprising a substantiallycrescent-shaped strip or sheet I0 of relatively soft and pliablematerial. This material may be rubber, suitably rubberized fabric, 0rother suitable material, preferably of a waterrepellent nature.

'I'he strip I0 is provided, at one end portion thereof, with anelongated thumb aperture II adjacent the inner curved edge I2 of saidsheet and an elongated slit I3 adjacent the outer edge I4 of said sheet,forming between said slit and aperture, a thumb engaging band I5. Theother end portion of the sheet I0 is provided with a pair of aperturesIB, I6a radially arranged with respect to the curvature of said sheetforming therebetween a band I'I adapted to engage the 5 end orlittlefinger of the hand. Between the last named apertures I6, |601, andthe thumb engaging aperture I I, are three groups of radially arrangedapertures I8, I9 and slits 2i) forming finger engaging bands 2|, 22. Theportions of 10 the sheet I0 between the last named nger engaging bandsand apertures and the apertures I6, form substantially uniform webportions 23, 23a, 23h, while the portion of the sheet between the thumbengaging aperture I I and the adjacent finger engaging apertures, formsan enlarged web 23o.

In arranging the sheet I0 upon the hand, the fingers are first passedthrough the apertures I8 and the aperture I6 to dispose the portion 24of 20 the sheet I0 adjacent the edge I2 thereof against the palm of thehand adjacent the base of the fingers as will be apparent in consideringFigs. 2 and 4 of the drawing. The fingers are then passed in the reversedirection through the aper- 25 tures I9 and the aperture Ilia, disposingthe bands 2| and I'I at the top or back sides of the fingers as will beapparent in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing.` The three middle fingers arethen passed through the slits 20, disposing the bands 22 on the front orinner surfaces of the ngers as seen in Figs. Zand 4 of the drawing. Thethumb may then be passed through the sheet ID in one of two ways, at thediscretion of the user, to most closely and comfortably t the contour ofthe hand. In Fig. 2, for example, the thumb has been passed through theaperture II in the same direction that the fingers had been passedthrough the apertures I8, thereby disposing the portion of the sheetadjacent the edge I2 against 40 the palm of the hand. In this event, thethumb is then passed through the slit I3, thereby disposing the band `I5on the outer or back side of the thumb. The other, and probably moreuniversal mode of attaching the sheet I 0 to the 45 thumb is shown inFig. 3. There, the thumb is passed through the aperture II in thedirection opposite to the passage of the fingers through the aperturesI8, thereby disposing the band I5 on the inner or front side of thethumb when the thumb is passed through the aperture I3. The mode ofattachment shown in Fig. 3 provides for a closer support of the web 23ebetween the thumb and the adjacent index nger.

It will be apparent that my device will t 5@ either hand, therebyobviating the necessity of manufacturing distinct articles as "rightsand lefts, while at the same time simplfying the use of the device byeliminating selection of the 5 rights and lefts 'Ihe device may also beproduced in a number of stock sizes to conform to the various hand sizesand contours.

The various slits and apertures are preferably made to snugly nt thefingers, thereby preventing l passage of water between the fingers andthe device. It is also advisable to form the palm engaging portion 24somewhat shorter than the width of the palm at the base of the fingers,

so that a tension may be set up in the portion 24 15 across the base ofthe lingers to hold the portion 24 firmly against the palm.

It will be apparent that my improved swimming device by virtue of itssimplicity, may be very inexpensively produced, and when formed 20 fromsheet rubber, may be fashioned in a single stamping operation. At thesame time, ther fiexibility of use provided by the arrangement of slitsand apertures, and the adaptability as to size which is provided by theuse of sheet rubber, renders the device extremely practical andconvenient for use by a swimmer. Another advantage of the simple andpliable construction employed is that the fingers may readily beextended in the manner shown in the drawing to 30 utilize the completearea of the webs 23, 23a, 23h, 23o in the propelling stroke of the handthrough the water. In the return stroke of the hand through the water orin removing the hand from the water, the fingers may be clenched and theresistance of the webs overcome.

My improved swimming device may also be referred to as a unitary stripor sheet of Waterproof material which is apertured and cut to formspaced finger engaging bands, and the porim tions of the sheet betweenthe spaced apertures and bands form webs extending from the tips of thefingers to the base thereof and even extend beyond the base of thefingers, thereby insuring a water-tight engagement of the device 4,,with the hand. It should be noted in this connection that the aperturesin the strip provide for a very close engagement of the device with thefingers while the slits adjacent the outer edge of the sheet engage thefingers more freely, thereby facilitating complete attachment of thedevice after the fingers have been passed through the apertures. As afurther advantage of my improved device, it will be noted that byproviding a unitary sheet having cuts and aper- 57 tures as described,the device has a minimum of bulk, thereby facilitating compactfolding orrolling of the device when not in use. n

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters nu. Patent, is:

l. A device adapted for use on the hand as a swimming aid, said devicecomprising a substantially crescent-shaped sheet of resilient materialhaving inner and outer curved edges, said sheet 65 having adjacent theinner edge thereof elonsurfaces of the fingers of the hand on the innergated apertures spaced along said inner edge and extending from theinner edge portion of the sheet in the direction of the outer edge, saidsheet having slits spaced along said outer edge in transverse alinementwith respect to all but one of the first named apertures, said sheet having additional apertures, of less size than the first named apertures,intermediate said slits and second named apertures, and the arrangementof the apertures and slits in said sheet constil0 tuting the sole meansof attachment of the device to the fingers of the hand, and providing anexposure of the major portion of the inner surface of the device.

2. A hand device adapted for use as a swimming aid, said devicecomprising a substantially crescent-shaped rubber sheet conformingsubstantially to the contour of the extended thumb and fingers. of thehand and having inner and outer curved edges, said sheet being providedwith radially arranged groups of apertures spaced longitudinally of saidedges for the reception of the thumb and fingers of the hand, each groupcomprising not more than three transversely 25 spaced apertures, themajority of said groups each comprising a transversely elongatedaperture extending from the inner edge portion of the sheet in thedirection of the outer edge thereof, an aperture arranged longitudinallywith respect to and adjacent the outer edge of the sheet and an aperturesmaller than the first named aperture and arranged intermediate thefirst named apertures, and said device when arranged upon the fingers ofthe hand will dispose the inner edge portion thereof upon the palmadjacent the base of the fingers of the hand and expose the majorportion of the inner surfaces of the fingers at the inner surface ofsaid device.

3. A hand swimming attachment of the class described comprising aunitary fiat sheet of pliable water-proof material, said sheet havinginner and outer curved edges and five finger receiving zones spacedlongitudinally of said edges, said zones compris-ing groups oftransversely arranged apertures, all zones having large apertures at theinner edge portion of the sheet, the zones at the end portions of thesheet forming single finger engaging bands, the other three zones eachcomprising three apertures thereby producing two finger engaging bandstherebetween, one of the last mentioned bands of each zone beingdisposed on inner surfaces of the fingers between the outer ends andfirst joint thereof when the device is arranged upon the hand, and theother finger engaging bands of all of said zones beingrdisposed on theouter surfaces of the fingers between the rst and second joints thereof,thereby producing of the parts of the sheet, intermediate said zones,outwardly curved web portions between adjacent fingers when the deviceis in use.

CHARLES E. DEVERMANN. 5

